Peaceful Isle Posted January 28, 2020 Share Posted January 28, 2020 Anyone? Looking for ideas! 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BusyMom5 Posted January 28, 2020 Share Posted January 28, 2020 Working on mine- here are my current thoughts: Math- Saxon Intermediate 4 with workbook and Math in Focus 4 if we need more. LA- Soaring with Spelling, Winning with Writing (or GwG- but thinking we are focusing on the writing). Probably leaving the reading open, nothing formal. Continue cursive handwriting practice without a book. History- thinking American Girl books, movies, and other projects with older siblings. Science- Mystery Science, and ???? Something else??? Extras: 4H, Robotics, Co-op Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SilverMoon Posted January 28, 2020 Share Posted January 28, 2020 (edited) . Edited July 12, 2022 by SilverMoon 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Peaceful Isle Posted January 28, 2020 Author Share Posted January 28, 2020 (edited) My son is at different levels for subjects, but here is our line up this next year: Math - BJU dlo math 4 Language arts - BJU dlo English 4 Science - Crosswired science History - history odyssey middle ages level 1 / along with veritas press self paced middle ages Bible - VP Bible Music lessons, art lessons, and sports Edited June 26, 2020 by Peaceful Isle Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Syllieann Posted January 29, 2020 Share Posted January 29, 2020 My plans for my little girl are mostly set. LA: MBtP 9-11, Daily Grams 5 at half speed, R&S Spelling 5 Science: R&S 4  We started using level 3 this year. She has no interest in science despite my many attempts to make it interesting. This gets it done with good retention and no fuss. History: Story of Civilization 3 with books from the CWH list and various other lists. Math: After finishing CLE 4 this spring I'll try her on MM 5, but if that is stressful we will just continue with CLE 5. Religion: Catechism of the Seven Sacraments  We are both really excited about this book! Extras: CC Memory Gamma, Friendly Defenders, Living Faith Kids, Home Art Studio 4, Hoffman Academy, Classics for Kids, MP Art Cards  Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wendyroo Posted January 29, 2020 Share Posted January 29, 2020 My second son, who will be 4th grade next year, is my hardest to plan for by far. He is incredibly 2e, asynchronous and volatile. His schedule is also complicated by 20 hours of ABA therapy a week. Math - Finishing up Hands on Equations Word Problem book plus parts of Math Mammoth 6 and 7. Literature - Just reading from a book list plus audiobooks in the car. Handwriting - Handwriting without Tears as part of therapy Writing - Probably Winning with Writing 3b which introduces paragraphs and the first few units of the IEW Ancient History theme book Grammar - Daily Grams Spelling - AAS Science - Mr. Q Earth Science History - Story of the World 1 plus listening to some read alouds from OUP Ancients books Art - Extracurricular class plus therapy activities Spanish - ULAT, reading books in Spanish, weekly immersion class Misc. STEM - Typing instruction as part of therapy Music - Extracurricular class Extras - Gym and Sign Language classes 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
8filltheheart Posted January 29, 2020 Share Posted January 29, 2020 I am finishing up the Chronicles of Narnia series with my last 4th grader. I love doing these books with my kids. It is always such a fun yr. We combine British history with the series and a variety of related science topics.  (Further Up and Further In is a good resource for preplanned ideas.) 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Elizabeth86 Posted January 29, 2020 Share Posted January 29, 2020 (edited) Math - BJU Math 4 & Reflex Math Literature - Just reading from Memoria Press book list & Mensa Book List Spelling - R & S Spelling Grammar - FLL 4 Handwriting - ZB Cursive Writing - Treasured Conversations Bible - BJU DLO History - SOTW Volume 2 Science - Apologia Swimming Creatures Geography- Little Passports & Library Books Extracurricular: We go to our homeschool group gym day 2x per month, once a month homeschool library program, AWANA and maybe get back in Trail Life. We do a field trip once a month with our hs group too. My son isn't into team sports, but we hope to do a lot of hiking, swimming and playing this year for keeping active. He ran a 5k with his dad last year and he might try more this year. We never fit in art or music, but that's ok with me.  We started song school Latin, but never find time for it. We may do it a bit when we find time. My son enjoys it quite a bit.   Edited June 9, 2020 by Elizabeth86 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nam2001 Posted January 29, 2020 Share Posted January 29, 2020 3 hours ago, 8FillTheHeart said: I am finishing up the Chronicles of Narnia series with my last 4th grader. I love doing these books with my kids. It is always such a fun yr. We combine British history with the series and a variety of related science topics.  (Further Up and Further In is a good resource for preplanned ideas.) I’ve thought about using this for my 4th grader also!  What did you use to add some British history? Something like Our Island Story? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
8filltheheart Posted January 29, 2020 Share Posted January 29, 2020 6 hours ago, Nam2001 said: I’ve thought about using this for my 4th grader also!  What did you use to add some British history? Something like Our Island Story? We are reading The Story of Britain as a spine and then reading lots of other books in addition to it. (topics like the crusades, Magna Carta, Joan of Arc, St. Thomas More, etc. 1 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
8filltheheart Posted January 29, 2020 Share Posted January 29, 2020 @CuriousMomof3 I know you are coming from a school background and your kids are normally in school and most likely returning in a semester, but there is a philosophy (not just a homeschooling one) that is the exact opposite of your reaction.Â đŸ˜‰Â Multum non multa (much, not many) meaning doing fewer things well, depth not breadth. I don't know if you like to dig into topics like this or not, but thought I'd share. (If you listen to this, skip ahead to 2:58 bc the first 3 mins are not related specifically to this topic.)  1 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lang Syne Boardie Posted January 29, 2020 Share Posted January 29, 2020 50 minutes ago, 8FillTheHeart said: We are reading The Story of Britain as a spine and then reading lots of other books in addition to it. (topics like the crusades, Magna Carta, Joan of Arc, St. Thomas More, etc. Thank you for ruining my debt snowball. I have to buy this for the future imaginary grandchildren! We love PJ Lynch. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
8filltheheart Posted January 29, 2020 Share Posted January 29, 2020 13 minutes ago, Lang Syne Boardie said: Thank you for ruining my debt snowball. I have to buy this for the future imaginary grandchildren! We love PJ Lynch. Well, there are very few illustrations, so I wouldn't buy it for that reason!! đŸ™‚ 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lang Syne Boardie Posted January 29, 2020 Share Posted January 29, 2020 1 minute ago, 8FillTheHeart said: Well, there are very few illustrations, so I wouldn't buy it for that reason!! đŸ™‚ I'd be in it for the history, too. LOL But thank you, I'll take another look! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
WoolC Posted January 30, 2020 Share Posted January 30, 2020 On 1/28/2020 at 11:39 AM, SilverMoon said: My youngest will be in 4th this fall and I saw the thread was missing, but I couldn't come up with enough to be worth posting. đŸ™ˆ He's rather asynchronous, ahead in most areas and struggles with writing and spelling. Currently he's in Adventures in the Sea and Sky from Winter Promise, which is listed as 4th-6th. The content has been fabulous for him and the very gentle writing lets his hand keep up with the rest of him. đŸ˜„ (This could be a fabulous choice for someone's 4th grade too.) Build Your Library grade 4 is looking like a top contender for next year at the moment. I'm totally comfortable winging it with SOTW on my own, but having that schedule with all the great books tied in really helps when there's so much teenager/high school/jobs/CC sibling stuff in his daily life. BYL 4 would cover history, science, lit, art, and poetry. Math: continue Beast Academy online, the books and some SM on the side as needed Spelling: Writing Road to Reading/Spalding Writing: back to WWE Grammar: realistically, on the fly through his writing or Daily Language Review, he picks it up easily and next year is looking to be a busy daily lifestyle (And he's my sixth run through elementary grammar; I can grammar at a solid Rod and Staff level in my sleepÂ đŸ˜‚) Language: Spanish through apps, but I'm considering pausing it for some Latin (My Marine got on me about not having him in Latin! "He really needs at least a few years, Mom.") Extra: he's a competitive dancer The Sea and Sky package looks really intriguing!  I was pretty settled on my upcoming 4th and 5th grader’s history plans, but this looks like something they would love.  They hate narration and almost every approach to writing we’ve tried.  The captain’s log looks engaging and fun.  We have always used a living books approach, would you say the WP core books are more narrative or text bookish?  Do you feel like there is a lot of busy work or has it helped your son retain?  Are you able to easily add in other readings or is the schedule pretty full?  I’ve been poring over the samples but would love to hear from you since you’re currently using it.  Thanks! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SilverMoon Posted January 30, 2020 Share Posted January 30, 2020 (edited) On 1/30/2020 at 8:24 AM, WoolC said: Â . Edited August 18, 2022 by SilverMoon 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
WoolC Posted January 30, 2020 Share Posted January 30, 2020 23 minutes ago, SilverMoon said: My little dude came from Writing With Ease behind level before starting Adventures. The actual pencil to paper writing in the Captain's Log and God of All Creation are enough that adding WWE would be too much for his hands. Adventures includes narration cards in the IG that we skip. He can (and will) tell me about what he's read all day long. đŸ˜‚ So he's not getting direct writing instruction right now, but he's still practicing and building endurance. That's okay for this season. đŸ™‚ The only book that could be textbooky is The Ocean Book, but he's rattled off plenty details from it. đŸ¤· Maybe the sea monsters book? But don't skip that one. I think it's his overall favorite. I don't consider any of it busywork really. The only work he's skipped are some of the experiments/projects. He enjoys a good project now and then, but not just for the sake of hands on. I let him decide on those. It would be easy to add more readings but this is plenty for him. There's an Older Learner schedule you can get if you're concerned about it being light. I used it with my teen when he used Adventures in... 6th grade..I think. (He's a junior now; it's been a hot minute!) He also does grammar (mostly orally), spelling, math, and Spanish (through an app). The WP correlated LA wasn't going to be a good match for him. This is really helpful, thank you!  It sounds like my boys are similar to your son with writing.  I think this might be enough to mix things up and help them put pencil to paper a bit more readily.  I showed them a few samples and I think they’re most excited for the sea monsters. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Renai Posted January 31, 2020 Share Posted January 31, 2020 I'm here to remind myself that I am going to have a 4th grader next year and have no idea what I'm going to do with her... 1 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Renai Posted February 4, 2020 Share Posted February 4, 2020 Jumping back in to say...I still don't know what to do. But, here is potential: I really don't want to do the part-time public school "homeschool tutorial class" or whatever they call it again. It's taking a chunk out of 3 days a week, and barely able to get anything else done in the time I have left. But, I still work teaching online, so the balance is a little precarious. Math - maybe continue Singapore, but leaning heavily toward Saxon 5/4 Reading - Sonlight readers/Spanish stuff Spelling - AAS/ R&S Spanish spelling Grammar - Spanish text (R&S) History - who knows Science - your guess as good as mine. I may just grab whatever R&S grade level Spanish text Chinese - continue Lingobus; maybe start back at the Chinese weekend school She is not a strong reader, as she is dyslexic, so things I get I'm reading to her which means there isn't a lot she's doing independently. It could change by the beginning of the year though.  2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Slache Posted February 4, 2020 Share Posted February 4, 2020 18 hours ago, Renai said: Jumping back in to say...I still don't know what to do. But, here is potential: I really don't want to do the part-time public school "homeschool tutorial class" or whatever they call it again. It's taking a chunk out of 3 days a week, and barely able to get anything else done in the time I have left. But, I still work teaching online, so the balance is a little precarious. Math - maybe continue Singapore, but leaning heavily toward Saxon 5/4 Reading - Sonlight readers/Spanish stuff Spelling - AAS/ R&S Spanish spelling Grammar - Spanish text (R&S) History - who knows Science - your guess as good as mine. I may just grab whatever R&S grade level Spanish text Chinese - continue Lingobus; maybe start back at the Chinese weekend school She is not a strong reader, as she is dyslexic, so things I get I'm reading to her which means there isn't a lot she's doing independently. It could change by the beginning of the year though.  I told you to print out the workbook for story of the world and have her work on it while she listens to the audio and do the same thing with Apologia. Why aren't you going to do that? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Slache Posted February 5, 2020 Share Posted February 5, 2020 That came out bossier than I meant it to... 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Slache Posted February 5, 2020 Share Posted February 5, 2020 Bible: Created Bible Journal or First Steps by himself, something undecided as a family. History: SOTW I WTM style. Science: MP Astronomy and something undecided for formal nature study. Art: Virtual Instructor Secrets to Drawing. Math: Saxon. LA: IEW: TWWSSFS, rotating Spanish and English grammars, Teaching The Classics. Foreign Language: Beginning Japanese, Hey Andrew 4. Music: Suzuki Violin, piano with dad. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Renai Posted February 5, 2020 Share Posted February 5, 2020 1 hour ago, Slache said: I told you to print out the workbook for story of the world and have her work on it while she listens to the audio and do the same thing with Apologia. Why aren't you going to do that? I didn´t say I wasn´t, but it is undecided. Things I have on my shelf: Bookshark 2 (I think, 2nd half of world history), MFW ECC (at least I'm pretty sure I still have this). There's something else here, but I can't think offhand what it is... Things I don't have on my shelf: SOTW. She is not an auditory learner unless I am the one reading and doing frequent comprehension checks. She is getting better at this. She is also not a very self-directed learner, unless she is writing her stories. (or speech to texting them) Plus, the audio of SOTW bugs me. I like Weiss in his stories; I did not like him on SOTW.  59 minutes ago, Slache said: That came out bossier than I meant it to... No, it didn't. You've always been a bossy pants. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Renai Posted February 5, 2020 Share Posted February 5, 2020 57 minutes ago, Slache said: Bible: Created Bible Journal or First Steps by himself, something undecided as a family. History: SOTW I WTM style. Science: MP Astronomy and something undecided for formal nature study. Art: Virtual Instructor Secrets to Drawing. Math: Saxon. LA: IEW: TWWSSFS, rotating Spanish and English grammars, Teaching The Classics. Foreign Language: Beginning Japanese, Hey Andrew 4. Music: Suzuki Violin, piano with dad. I'll send her to your house, except then you'll have to pick up Chinese. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Slache Posted February 5, 2020 Share Posted February 5, 2020 1 minute ago, Renai said: I'll send her to your house, except then you'll have to pick up Chinese. No. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
carriede Posted February 6, 2020 Share Posted February 6, 2020 Using mostly Memoria Press for my upcoming 4th grader. First Form Latin with her brother (they're finishing LC now) Math Mammoth 5 MP Language Arts: Fable, English Grammar II, Cursive Copybook, Spelling Workout E, 4th grade literature MP History: Greek Myths, Christian Studies I, US States and Capitals MP Science: Astronomy Catechism with Faith and Life book 4, whatever that title is Charlotte Mason style artist study, poet study, and music appreciation Also, gymnastics and church. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
keirin Posted February 17, 2020 Share Posted February 17, 2020 I'm kind of trying to decide right now whether to just do THE NEXT THING now that we've kind of gotten into a groove or shake it up and do something more fun for fourth grade. Here's the NEXT THING plan: English/Language Arts: Treasured Conversations Assigned novels with TpT units to add additional reading comprehension or grammar activities - Hatchet, Tales of a Fourth Grade Nothing, Dangerous Journey Pilgrim's Progress (this one from Memoria Press), Robinson Crusoe Building Spelling Skills Grades 3/4 from Evan Moor Considering Winning with Writing if it wouldn't be overkill  Math: Singapore 4A/4B Division Facts that Stick Beast Academy 3C,3D, maybe getting into 4A Reflex Math subscription Possibly Everything's Coming Up Fractions History: The Story of Civilization Vol 3 from TAN Press Science: Astronomy with Memoria Press plus 365 Starry Nights, What we see in the stars, 50 things to see with a telescope, the usborne book of the moon, ultimate explorer field guide: night sky and a telescope of course Mystery Science subscription Latin: First Form Latin from Memoria Press Religion (we're Catholic): The Great Adventure Bible for kids Morning Time Enrichment: Typetastic subscription Picture and Music Study from SCM Tin Man Press Start Thinking! Grade 4 Continued Cursive Handwriting practice Memory Work, likely from Memoria press recitation Programming with Scratch  Something more fun ideas: Harry Potter units from Build Your Library? Narnia year with Further Up and In? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dsbrack Posted March 9, 2020 Share Posted March 9, 2020 (edited) We are continuing with much of the same things next year. I'm still undecided on how to tackle science though. Math: Singapore 4A/4B and Beast Academy 4 Spelling: All About Spelling 4 Grammar: Rod & Staff 4 History/Literature/Geography: Tapestry of Grace Year 3 Upper Grammar Science: Undecided, maybe Real Science Odyssey for Earth Science and Astronomy, maybe just let co-op handle it He will be doing interest led science following along with his brother Latin: Continue Latin for Children A   We have decided to move to MP First Form Co-op for Gym, Art, Tae Kwon Do, and anything else that strikes his fancy No co-op due to Covid and a new baby on the way. Instead, he will do a homemade chef's course. He has wanted to be a chef for a few years now.  Continue piano lessons Edited July 13, 2020 by dsbrack Updated our curriculum decisions Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
happypamama Posted March 10, 2020 Share Posted March 10, 2020 I'm slightly afraid to look at this thread because I don't need any more ideas. My fourth child will be a fourth grader next year. History -- SOTW2 with 2nd grade brother, possibly taught at co-op (by me). Loads and loads of supplements and literature. Geography with that.  Science -- REAL Science Odyssey Life 1 along with 2nd grade brother. He will probably also get in on 6th grade brother's projects for REAL Science Bio 2. Various NaturExplorers studies as we feel like it. More Burgess animal books. Minecraft science, science kits.  Math -- continue Singapore  LA -- HWOT Cursive, typing.com maybe, WWE3, need to pull some stuff about punctuation and capitalization practice, readalouds to go with SOTW and whatever else we feel like reading, continue reading books aloud to me.  Fine arts -- outsourced weekly art class, lots of paint/paper/glue/etc. -- he is a maker, keyboard with Synthesia, haven't put together picture study and composers yet. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Renai Posted June 9, 2020 Share Posted June 9, 2020 I had the biggest Duh moment ever. I teach online. Yeah...I teach online. One of my ideas when I started teaching was to teach classes my daughter could attend. So Spanish and science have been figured out. I teach Spanish through contexts, like science, and she wants to study birds and other flying creatures. So, that is what I am currently designing. I had already planned to offer a similar class to my students; I'm just moving up the date to offer it. The second Spanish class I'm teaching is more social studies than history or geography, but I can tie in Spanish grammar and literature in it. So, there's Spanish lit and grammar, science, and social studies. Chinese is scheduled for two classes a week through September. Math is still Singapore. And we will work on All About Spelling and Sonlight readers for English. I *think* that covers everything. 5 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MeaganS Posted June 10, 2020 Share Posted June 10, 2020 (edited) I haven't done one of these yet this year, so I'll bite! Most of what we do is pretty well ironed out, so it is almost all "do the next thing." There wasn't much to figure out, which is sort of sad and nice at the same time. đŸ™‚ DD9 will legally be a 4th grader this upcoming year, which is nuts to me, but cool! Math: BA 5b-5d. Possibly start AOPS PreAlgebra after that or possibly Jacobs Mathematics, A Human Endeavor. She also does BA Online. Writing: Finish W&R Narrative 2 and do Chreia and Proverb and possibly start Refutation and Confirmation Spelling: AAS level 5 Grammar: finish R&S 4, start R&S 5 Literature: Reading list of my own creation. I buy a bunch and let her pick what to read next. She has to read it for 30 mins a day. History/Science: Continue to unschool these. Also read from mommy-chosen nonfiction for 15 minutes a day Spanish: Dabble in Duolingo. This isn't a priority for me, but we're likely going to visit Grandma and Grandpa in Mexico City in a year so it would be nice. Piano: Hoffman Academy Religion: 10 minutes of own scripture reading time plus daily family scripture study Geography: Continue to do various Draw the World maps and review learned ones. We're working on Europe for now and then probably Asia and we might get to Africa.  Edited June 10, 2020 by MeaganS Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AsgardCA Posted June 19, 2020 Share Posted June 19, 2020 (edited) Math - Math Mammoth 4 Saxon 5/4 Language Arts - Canadian Handwriting D, Fix It 1, Writing & Rhetoric, Vocabulary From Classical Roots 4 Social Studies - BYL Prehistory & Evolution, History Quest Early Times (BYL 1) Canadian History using Modern History Through Canadian Eyes, some AO resources, and Headphone History Science - Blossom & Root Science (Earth & Sky) French - Arts - Edited February 17, 2021 by AsgardCA Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Renai Posted June 23, 2020 Share Posted June 23, 2020 Ok. So this just may be coming together. Bible - Bible Study Fellowship Math - Singapore Primary Science - self-designed Spanish zoology course, starting with birds (teaching on Outschool) Social studies - self-designed Spanish course on community and basic geography (teaching on Outschool) Spanish - integrated grammar, spelling, and writing with above courses English - meh, er, All About Spelling Suzuki violin  Chinese with Lingo Bus (referral link) and Sunday Chinese school, integrating in daily routine, and character study She apparently also wants to go back to learning German - TBD Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Brittany1116 Posted June 23, 2020 Share Posted June 23, 2020 (edited) Hello! Brand new to the forums. I have a 4th grader and a 4 year old. Loved reading all your plans and picks. Thought I'd share ours. LA Rod and Staff English 5, Wordly Wise 5, Evan Moore Daily Paragraph Editing, second half of English from the Roots Up Math CLE 600, LOF pre-algebra 0 (formerly Elementary Physics), Critical Thinking Co Balance Math & More History MOH 1. Most required reading will align with history. Science God's Design for the Physical World, adding second half of Apologia Exploring Creation with Chemistry and Physics to increase experiment options Other Duolingo Spanish, drawing lessons, Thinking Tree Italy study, Abeka readers, missionary study, Pentime penmanship Edited July 18, 2020 by Brittany1116 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bevwdi Posted July 5, 2020 Share Posted July 5, 2020 On 6/23/2020 at 12:07 AM, Brittany1116 said: Hello! Brand new to the forums. I have a 4th grader and a 4 year old. Loved reading all your plans and picks. Thought I'd share ours. Other Duolingo Spanish, drawing lessons, Thinking Tree Italy study, Abeka readers, missionary study, Pentime penmanship Hi Brittany, welcome. What is the "Thinking Tree Italy Study" listed there in your "other" line? I have a fourth grade daughter obsessed with all things France so maybe there is a France study? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
barnwife Posted July 6, 2020 Share Posted July 6, 2020 On 1/29/2020 at 6:20 AM, Syllieann said: My plans for my little girl are mostly set. History: Story of Civilization 3 with books from the CWH list and various other lists. Religion: Catechism of the Seven Sacraments  We are both really excited about this book!  We can vouch for the Catechism you mention. My kids got it for either St. Nick's last year or maybe Epiphany. And...all of them really like it. We've been reading the sections on Reconciliation and the Eucharist (to supplement DD's prep for those sacraments). Is this where I admit that I've learned more than I expected from it? I know I am late to the game for this post. But we are adding a baby in Sept., so that means school lite for a while. It will be mostly "read something, write something, do something mathy" for as long as needed once baby arrives. Somehow that means I am behind in my planning. Then, I think we will mostly be continuing things we are already doing. Maths: Envision Math 4 Reading: Wise Owl Polysyllables, Assigned Lit. chosen by me Spelling: AAS (he just transitioned to this, and for the first time, his spelling is improving!) Grammar: ELTL (finishing B, moving on to C) History: TAN Story of Civilization vol. 3 Science: Free Choice reading from science book basket (will rotate themes, perhaps including: human body, astronomy, weather, machines, energy) 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
aeolianharp Posted July 6, 2020 Share Posted July 6, 2020 new to homeschooling but as of now, Math - Rightstart Math supplemented with Beast Academy online. (if RS ends up being too time consuming, will use Math Mammoth) Reading - will pick ~10 read alouds and do some unit studies, read independently at least 30 min daily Writing - CAP W&R Fable Grammar  - Well Ordered Language Social Studies - probably Zinn Education Project, researching picture book read alouds on various topics Music - piano lessons and music appreciation with me Art - picture study, YouTube art projects Science - undecided, maybe Mystery Science and some Outschool classes Coding - play on Scratch website Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SilverMoon Posted July 12, 2020 Share Posted July 12, 2020 (edited) On 1/28/2020 at 9:39 AM, SilverMoon said: My youngest will be in 4th this fall and I saw the thread was missing, but I couldn't come up with enough to be worth posting. đŸ™ˆ He's rather asynchronous, ahead in most areas and struggles with writing and spelling. Currently he's in Adventures in the Sea and Sky from Winter Promise, which is listed as 4th-6th. The content has been fabulous for him and the very gentle writing lets his hand keep up with the rest of him. đŸ˜„ (This could be a fabulous choice for someone's 4th grade too.) Build Your Library grade 4 is looking like a top contender for next year at the moment. I'm totally comfortable winging it with SOTW on my own, but having that schedule with all the great books tied in really helps when there's so much teenager/high school/jobs/CC sibling stuff in his daily life. BYL 4 would cover history, science, lit, art, and poetry. Math: continue Beast Academy online, the books and some SM on the side as needed Spelling: Writing Road to Reading/Spalding Writing: back to WWE Grammar: realistically, on the fly through his writing or Daily Language Review, he picks it up easily and next year is looking to be a busy daily lifestyle (And he's my sixth run through elementary grammar; I can grammar at a solid Rod and Staff level in my sleepÂ đŸ˜‚) Language: Spanish through apps, but I'm considering pausing it for some Latin (My Marine got on me about not having him in Latin! "He really needs at least a few years, Mom.") Extra: he's a competitive dancer  Recap now that we're closer: Build Your Library 4 for history, science, lit, poetry, art. Math: He is THRIVING in Beast Academy and already tearing into 4 hard. I have Hands on Equations in the school closet but I don't think he'll need anything with Beast at this point. Spelling: Writing Road to Reading/Spalding - It is very teacher intensive but this is a weak area and WRTR works for him. Writing: I don't know! ***Writing Tales volume 1, with Writing With Ease in the wings. I think WT will overwhelm him at some points and we'll fall back on his predictable WWE for awhile when that happens. Grammar: Daily Language Review from Evan-Moor, taught by me on the fly as needed, so he can focus more attention on writing Language: Duolingo for Spanish, and starting Latin for Children A I assumed more Writing With Ease for writing, but I'm not sure anymore. It's really only for enjoying good stories and hand endurance at this point. He struggles with pencil to paper writing but the rest of WWE he can do blindfolded with one arm tied behind his back. I should start a thread about this. đŸ˜›Extracurricular: only boy in ballet Edited July 31, 2020 by SilverMoon finally made a decision 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Brittany1116 Posted July 18, 2020 Share Posted July 18, 2020 On 7/5/2020 at 5:54 PM, bevwdi said: Hi Brittany, welcome. What is the "Thinking Tree Italy Study" listed there in your "other" line? I have a fourth grade daughter obsessed with all things France so maybe there is a France study? Hello, and thank you. The Thinking Tree, AKA "Funschooling", makes a variety of interest-lead journals. The Italy study is part of the Travel Dreams line, which includes 10-12 countries. It's 60 or so pages long, and explores the culture and geography. Alas, there is no France study. He actually asked for France this year, but settled for Italy. Last year, he studied Brazil. But please do check into them. The books are generally $10 each on Amazon. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bevwdi Posted July 28, 2020 Share Posted July 28, 2020 On 7/17/2020 at 11:53 PM, Brittany1116 said: Hello, and thank you. The Thinking Tree, AKA "Funschooling", makes a variety of interest-lead journals. The Italy study is part of the Travel Dreams line, which includes 10-12 countries. It's 60 or so pages long, and explores the culture and geography. Alas, there is no France study. He actually asked for France this year, but settled for Italy. Last year, he studied Brazil. But please do check into them. The books are generally $10 each on Amazon.  Thanks for getting back to me. No France study? Awwww.... I'll still check it out but my little Francophile won't settle for Italy.Â đŸ˜‰ Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KickingandScreaming Posted July 30, 2020 Share Posted July 30, 2020 Hi, I'm new here and a very reluctant homeschooler (hence the user name đŸ˜‚). Anyway, I've decided homeschooling is the best choice for my 4th grader this year. I have a BS in Elementary Education and taught in private Christian and secular schools for about 8 years before becoming a full time mom 15 years ago. This is bit of a thread hijack, so please forgive me, but this is what I've decided on, and I'd love to hear feedback. My 4th grader is wait listed at a private classical school and the plan is for her to go there next year. Hoping and praying she gets a spot later this school year! Abeka Arithmetic 4 Vocabulary From Classical Roots 4 Shurley English 4 Daily Grams 4 Wordly Wise 4 Apologia Writers In Residence Abeka History 4 Memoria Press States and Capitals Abeka Science Total Language Plus (Pippi, LWW, Caddie Woodlawn, Sign of the Beaver, Ben&Me) Memoria Press Christian Studies I and II A few notes... *I know I'm heavy on ELA. I love it all and hate to part with any of it. LOL! The school she is wait listed at uses Shurley, so I wanted to make that consistent. I suppose I could drop either Wordly Wise or Vocab. From Classical Roots. *I considered the Memoria Press Accelerated 4th grade full kit, but I do not like R&S math, and I wanted a broader science curriculum. Also, the private school she'll be attending next year doesn't begin Latin until 6th grade, so there seemed no need to start that with her now. *Didn't want the full Abeka kit because I wanted different ELA. Thanks!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
8filltheheart Posted July 30, 2020 Share Posted July 30, 2020 31 minutes ago, KickingandScreaming said: Hi, I'm new here and a very reluctant homeschooler (hence the user name đŸ˜‚). Anyway, I've decided homeschooling is the best choice for my 4th grader this year. I have a BS in Elementary Education and taught in private Christian and secular schools for about 8 years before becoming a full time mom 15 years ago. This is bit of a thread hijack, so please forgive me, but this is what I've decided on, and I'd love to hear feedback. My 4th grader is wait listed at a private classical school and the plan is for her to go there next year. Hoping and praying she gets a spot later this school year! Abeka Arithmetic 4 Vocabulary From Classical Roots 4 Shurley English 4 Daily Grams 4 Wordly Wise 4 Apologia Writers In Residence Abeka History 4 Memoria Press States and Capitals Abeka Science Total Language Plus (Pippi, LWW, Caddie Woodlawn, Sign of the Beaver, Ben&Me) Memoria Press Christian Studies I and II A few notes... *I know I'm heavy on ELA. I love it all and hate to part with any of it. LOL! The school she is wait listed at uses Shurley, so I wanted to make that consistent. I suppose I could drop either Wordly Wise or Vocab. From Classical Roots. *I considered the Memoria Press Accelerated 4th grade full kit, but I do not like R&S math, and I wanted a broader science curriculum. Also, the private school she'll be attending next year doesn't begin Latin until 6th grade, so there seemed no need to start that with her now. *Didn't want the full Abeka kit because I wanted different ELA. Thanks!! If you want honest opinions, (don't read my response if you don't!!Â đŸ™‚ )  my response to your list is that it is going to leave you both burned out and hating homeschooling even more than your reluctance "thinks." I have been homeschooling for a very long time and if I had to replicate that list in my home, my dd would hate school and I would not want to climb out of bed in the morning to face it. Even with your dd attending school next year, she does not need to do all of those things this yr. Homeschooling is way more efficient and allows mastery of skills and content across curriculum. Hope you find your feet!! Best wishes to you and your dd. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KickingandScreaming Posted July 30, 2020 Share Posted July 30, 2020 Not sure I'm using the quote feature correctly, but 8Filltheheart, I DO want honest feedback, for sure! đŸ˜‚ So...in light of that, what would you keep and what would you chop? ETA... Apparently I did NOT use the quote function properly. LOL! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
8filltheheart Posted July 31, 2020 Share Posted July 31, 2020 5 hours ago, KickingandScreaming said: Not sure I'm using the quote feature correctly, but 8Filltheheart, I DO want honest feedback, for sure! đŸ˜‚ So...in light of that, what would you keep and what would you chop? ETA... Apparently I did NOT use the quote function properly. LOL! LOL! You wouldn't ask that question if you had been posting on these forums bc for me that is a loaded question.Â đŸ™‚Â If it was up to me, I'd cut almost all of it. (Told you!) Honestly, since you are a former teacher, I would get rid of most of the textbooks and just teach. You have the advantage of knowing how to teach vs. being completely overwhelmed by what on earth kids are supposed to learn. Homeschooling doesn't have to look anything like a classroom and you can go deeper and progress at their pace with materials that are far more interesting than textbooks. Science and history can be reading, documentaries, projects......whatever you want. For example, last yr my then 4th grader and I did a Chronicles of Narnia study. (Products like Further Up and Further In can give you a starting place.) We read entire books on British history, catherals, castles, crusades, Magna Charta, Joan of Arc, WW2, orphan trains, etc for history to go along with the study. Science was whatever science topics she wanted to read about (sometimes connected to ideas in the book like beavers and dams). She went on an astrophysics kick and listened to Astrophysics for Young People in a Hurry, watched documentaries, stargazed, etc.  I strongly dislike MP products but that is bc I really dislike superficial fill-in-the-blank workbook type learning. If I wanted to do a Christian study, I would decide what specifically I wanted to study and find materials that explored the topic or pull it together myself (not hard for a 4th grader). (For example, if I wanted to study a timeline of the OT, I would probably use a children's bible and create a character/geography/timeline study.) Writing I would teach across curriculum. I'd study grammar within the context of writing (either her own or from paragraphs pulled from her reading. It leads to greater understanding of grammar bc there is no pattern matching option to camaflouge understanding. Create writing assignments from history, science, lit.....no English textbook writing assignment, only assignments relevant to what she is learning. (Here are is a description I wrote so many yrs ago that my college sr was in 2nd grade! It's 2 posts long. )  I'm sure you regret asking! đŸ˜‰ Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wendyroo Posted July 31, 2020 Share Posted July 31, 2020 I always start by picturing what I think an ideal balanced day would look like for my kiddo. At our house, for a fourth grader, that would be about 2 hours of "hard" school (math, writing, memorization, typing, Spanish, spelling, piano, etc), 2 hours of "easy" school (mostly listening to me read history, science, Spanish, poetry and literature aloud), 1-2 hours of free reading, 2-3+ hours of "productive play" (snap circuits, art, board games, legos, daydreaming, outside play (and in non-pandemic times, outings)...pretty much anything that isn't TV or screens), and about 1 hour of chores, helping cook, cleaning up after themselves, minding younger siblings, etc. So, that comes out to ~10 hours. Figuring they sleep for 10ish and spend about 2 on meals and hygiene, that only leaves about 2 hours for transitions, dawdling, and screen time...that is about what I am aiming for. Once that balance feels right to me, then I decide how I want to best utilize that time. I actually decide how much time I ideally want to devote to each subject each day. That does not mean we spend exactly that much time, but that is what I strive for. So, if I have decided that 45 minutes is a good amount for math, then I am mindful if our sessions start to creep longer, and if that happens I adjust my expectations - either I deliberately choose to reallocate time from a different subject to math, or I adjust how much I expect to cover in math each day. Personally, I would not use any of the resources you listed...my kids would mutiny! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KickingandScreaming Posted July 31, 2020 Share Posted July 31, 2020 Thank you to those of you who have responded to my post! I absolutely appreciate reading all points of view and learning about all the different methods/approaches. You have all given me things to think about. I'm still having a hard time picturing what our days will look like, so everything written here has been very helpful! She does spend 3.5-4 hours at gymnastics 4 days/week, so she's already a busy kid! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
8filltheheart Posted July 31, 2020 Share Posted July 31, 2020 6 hours ago, KickingandScreaming said: Thank you to those of you who have responded to my post! I absolutely appreciate reading all points of view and learning about all the different methods/approaches. You have all given me things to think about. I'm still having a hard time picturing what our days will look like, so everything written here has been very helpful! She does spend 3.5-4 hours at gymnastics 4 days/week, so she's already a busy kid! 4th grade shouldn't take more than 4 hrs total. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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